Reflection for Sunday 21 March 2021

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

READING : Isaiah 61:1-3

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour.”

Everyone has experienced hurt and disappointment. We’ve all been burned by life. But God doesn’t want us to sit in the ashes of the past, He wants to exchange our brokenness for healing.

He wants to give us beauty for our ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for despair.

Ashes represent what’s left over after something’s been burned up—our broken dreams, our disappointments, our hurts, our failures.

The key is that we have to be willing to give up the ashes in order to receive the beauty. You can’t have both because the old has to go before the new can come.

Today, are you willing to trust Him with your past hurts?

Are you willing to let go of the pain, to forgive others and yourself so you can move forward in freedom?

Don’t waste another day sitting in the ashes.

The past is over, but your future remains. Your best days are ahead. Let God give you joy instead of mourning, and let Him make something beautiful out of the ashes of your life today!

Let us pray,

God, thank You for promising to sweep away the ashes of my past and give me something beautiful in their place. I choose to give them up to You and receive Your healing and restoration in my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.